By Louise Dodson Chief Political Correspondent Canberra November 24, 2003
New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark was frisked at Sydney Airport for explosives in an incident that has embarrassed the Australian Government.
Despite having a NZ security officer with her, Miss Clark was pulled out of a queue on October 28 and given a body scan with a new explosives detection device to make sure she was not a bomb-carrying terrorist, The Age has learned.
Senior Australian Government sources said the incident was an embarrassment. It was not regarded as the right way to treat the leader of Australia's close ally, they said.
"You won't be surprised to hear the New Zealand Prime Minister was not found to be carrying any explosives," a spokesman for Transport Minister John Anderson said.
The Government sources said: "It was a bit silly to frisk the New Zealand Prime Minister. We would expect her to be recognised by airport security staff."
A senior adviser to Miss Clark said the NZ security officer accompanying his Prime Minister was "a bit upset" that she was being scanned for explosives.
The Australian officials were told who she was, Miss Clark's senior adviser Mike Munro said.
This did not stop them. They decided to continue the scan and even sent the results to a laboratory for testing.
* * * *
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/11/23/1069522472954.html